Choi Jongrak has lived in Ho Chi Minh City for many years to work and travel. He and his friends created a YouTube channel HanQuocBros to share personal culinary cultural experiences in Vietnam. The channel has attracted more than 1 million followers.
In early 2025, Jongrak returned to Korea for Tet and stayed for a few more weeks to extend his Vietnam visa. "In Korea, I really miss Vietnamese food," he shared and decided to visit famous Vietnamese restaurants in Seoul.
The first Jongrak restaurant to visit the "Seoul forest" neighborhood was Qua. He ordered a combo of typical dishes of Vietnamese cuisine: pho, bun cha, banh xeo, nem non ngan Nha Trang.
As soon as the dishes were presented, the Korean guy commented: "The Nha Trang grilled garden is small, not like the "original" but still delicious. Banh xeo is more similar to the Western banh xeo because it is "huong" more. Full bun cha sauce. Dipping sauce is not mixed with fish sauce. Vietnamese people may not be suitable for their taste, but Korean people are suitable for them".
Jongrak assessed that Vietnamese restaurants and eateries in Korea are very crowded with customers, not only locals but also foreign diners. Coming to a Vietnamese restaurant on Monday, he also had to wait 10 - 15 minutes to get a seat. This proves that Vietnamese cuisine is truly attractive to diners in the land of kimchi.
Eating bun cha, the guy laughed tearfully because he realized that the restaurant used rice noodles to make bun cha, but the dipping sauce of this dish was quite similar in Vietnam. He jokingly called it a "pho cha".
A bowl of beef noodle soup is the last dish, the broth is considered "delicious", but according to Jongrak, "the restaurant does not give lemon because in Korea lemon is very common and the cheese has the smell of... grilled meat".
The second restaurant in Seoul to visit was Cong 365, when he came here he ordered a combo pho, a bunch of mixed beef noodles and fried nem.
The bowl of beef noodle soup here has an additional plate of coriander next to it because not everyone in Korea can eat this vegetable. The pho fiber is firmer, not like the "oreal" in Vietnam. The beefsteak with sour and crispy skin was cooked by the guy and praised for its deliciousness. fried spring rolls do not have the flavor of Vietnamese fish sauce.
Jongrak realized that Vietnamese food in Seoul does not have the same flavor as the "original" but is mixed to better suit Korean tastes. The first restaurant sells Vietnamese food to suit Korean tastes better than the second restaurant, however, the second restaurant Jongrak cooks Vietnamese food with more authentic flavors. According to him, perhaps because the restaurant owner is Vietnamese.
